ESS: Can-Am Speedway report

Dan Kaszubinski Again King of ESS at Can-Am.
by Dean Reynolds

LaFARGEVILLE, N.Y. - It's starting to look like a good combination...Syracuse, N.Y.'s Dan Kaszubinski and the Can-Am International Speedway. Taking the lead on lap 11 from Quebec's Alain Bergeron, the driver of the Autotech of Syracuse #20 went on to score his second Empire Super Sprint (ESS) A-Main victory of the 2000 season.

The win at Can-Am on Thursday night marked a repeat performance of last years annual Pabst Shootout at the Thurston family promoted 1/2 mile. Kaszubinski also captured a special five lap, $300 to win dash just a few weeks prior as well. Can-Am is becoming a family friend to the Kaszubinski name.

A nearly four hour rain delay saw the heats taking the green past 11 at night with the 20 lap finale getting completed after one in the morning. Both management and competitors did their best to to get the show in with a standing room only crowd on hand. The wide oval was slick early in the night but then produced 100 m.p.h. speeds by the winged sprinters during the feature.

"I like this pace, I guess you can say it's be good to me over the past few years." nailed Kaszubinski. "It's fast and usually pretty tacky, I like those conditions as they really seem to fit my style. If a track slicks up, I usually have troubles. Tonight with all the rain, it stayed tacky and I just held the foot to the floor."

Bergeron, who won at Cornwall at the begining of June, took off from his outside pole starting spot in hopes of collecting his second ever ESS win. Kaszubinski's Bobby Allen chassis sprinter came from eighth at the start to second on a lap three restart to chase the flying frenchman. Bergeron kept a good sized lead until lapped traffic started to come into play.

"You want to be second when it comes to traffic." said Kaszubinski. "It's an advantage, could you can see where the lapped cars go and where the leader wants to pass. If it doesn't work out for the leader you can use the right line to get by."

As the slower cars figured into the battle for the lead, the aggressive style of Kaszubinski was the key to overtake the rookie of the year hopeful. Right at the halfway mark, Kaszubinski swept outside Bergeron and a lapped car to make the exciting pass going into lap one.

The lead then opened up until a lap 16 caution where the fans started to create a buzz. Local favorite and former Can-Am regular Rick Wilson came from his 12th place start all the way up to third when the yellow lights came on. At the drop of the green, Wilson blew by Bergeron and started a chase for Kaszubinski. But that's all that could be said...a chase. Kaszubinski was just too fast on this night.

At the drop of Chip Burdick's checkered flag, Kaszubinski was the winner followed by Wilson for his fourth bridesmaid finish of the year. A fine run for Bergeron in third, Bubby Kerrick finished in fourth ahead of Don Sharp Jr. Rounding out the top ten was Randy Years, Lance Yonge, Mike Woodring, Bill Coffey and Mike Stelter.

Three cautions slowed the blistering pace: On the original start, Dave Wickham and Jeff Van Dusen came together and broke suspension parts, Kris Dow lost power plant on lap three and a blown rearend was the downfall for R.C. Faigle on lap 16 while running up front.

The Brodix Cylinder Heads heat wins went to Kaszubinski, Ray Preston and Yonge. Yonge also won $100 for taking the four lap F.X. Caprara Car Companies/Walt's Hobby Dash. The KSE Racing Products B-Main was cancelled due to the late hour.

ESS NOTES: A fine field of 27 sprints made the tow to the St. Lawrence Seaway...Good to have the father/son team of Mike and Jeff Van Dusen back in the ESS fold as they returned from Florida...Making first ever ESS starts was Dave Wickham with the Rick Dumigan owned #90 and Northcountry small block star and former DIRT sportsman rookie of the year Chris Herbison in the Mike Stelter backup machine. Unfortunately, motor woes ended Herbison's debut after warmups...Kaszubinski joined Lance Yonge as the only two multiple winners thus far on the ESS Tour 2000.

<pre> RESULTS: Heat 1 - Dan Kaszubinski, Rob Dietrick, Don Sharp Jr., Kris Dow, Randy Years, Doug Emery. Heat 2 - Ray Preston, Alain Bergeron, Mike Woodring, Rick Wilson, Bill Coffey, Mike Stelter. Heat 3 - Lance Yonge, Bubby Kerrick, R.C. Faigle, Rich Wood, Dave Wickham, Mike Van Dusen. F.X. Caprara Car Companies/Walt's Hobby Dash - Yonge. Added Starters - Mike Bozzuto, Jeff Van Dusen, Dick Spadaro, George Ely, Steve Dow, Tim Zimbardi. A-Main - DAN KASZUBINSKI, Wilson, Bergeron, Kerrick, Sharp Jr., Years, Yonge, Woodring, Coffey, Stelter, Emery, Dietrick, S. Dow, Spadaro, Wood, Faigle, Preston, Zimbardi, Bozzuto, Ely, K. Dow, Wickham, J. Van Dusen. Did Not Start - M. Van Dusen. Lap Leaders - Bergeron 1-10, Kaszubinski 11-20. Walt's Hobby Hard Charger - Wilson $50. Vicomp Graphics Halfway - Bergeron $50. Winner's Bonuses: Car-Mate Dealers $50, Pro Shocks $100, Penske Shocks $150, Hank's Performance Products $50, Total Seal $50, Griffin Thermal Products $50, Bicknell Racing Products $35, Behrent's Performance Warehouse $30, Red's Speed Shop $25. Other Bonuses: Weld Racing Hard Luck - Faigle $75. Tire Comp. East - Wilson $75. Design 500 - Dietrick $100, Sharp Jr. $50. C&R Racing Radiators - Sharp Jr. $50. Bailey Racing Products - Dietrick $35. Total Seal - Stelter $30. Thunder Mtn. Wings - Wilson $20. Dave Ely Racing - Dietrick, Bergeron, Kerrick $10. Powder Birns - S. Dow $10. Lauterborn Electric - Faigle $10.